Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-14
A FOUL MURDER.
A PROMINENT CITIZEN or WASHING
TON SLAIN ON THE STREET.
Mr.. Joseph c. O. Kennedy the Vicum-
Stabbed With q Butchers knife on the
Avenue-Grsst Excitement.
rRr ,elsrr,nh to the Dispatch

WASHINGTON. July 13.-The most
sensational murder that has occurred
in Washington since the assass'na-
ton of President Garfield was COM
mitted about 5 o'clock this evening on
the corner of Fifteenth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, opposite the
northeastern end Of the Treasury-De-
partment building. Joseph q. G..
Kennedy, an attorney aud real estate
agent, and one of the Oldest resi-
dents of Washington, and personal
acquaintance of many of the most
prominent people of the national
capital, was murdered IN cold
blood and apparently without provoca-
ton by John Daily, white laborer.
A few minutes before 5 o'clock Mr..
Kennedy left his Office, just above the
Riggs Bank, ard crossed the street
diogonally to the opposite corner where
he mailed several letters. he then
started to take car of the Fourteenth
Street railroad. When he was within
a few feet of the car Daily, who had
been lettering around the corner for
several hours, walked up behind him,
and drawing large keen-bladed knife,
similar TO those used by butchers in
killing hogs, ran it into Mr.. Kennedy's
right side near the abdomen with VI
cious lunge and then gave it n jerk side
wise. A large crowd was on the corner
at the time, including many clerks IN
the Government departments, but they
were all so horror-stricken that foramo-
ment nobody moved. Mr.. Kennedy
fell to the ground, and after giving one
CIV of Murder" groaned deeply and
pointed to his murderer, who made no
attempt to escape.
At this moment Henry Mason. a col
ored watchman in the Safe-Deposit
building. on the opposite corner, hear
ing the cry, ran out and supported the
wounded man as best he could. The
knife dropped out of Mr.. Kennedy's
side at this instant, and Mason resigned
the care of the murdered man to q
physician who had come up. Mason
tLsn seized Daily, who had stood look
ing on, apparently the most uncon-
cerned and self-possessed man in the
crowd. which had until now held aloof
as if afraid to approach the murderer.
Mr.. Kennedy expired in about five
minutes, and his body was removed to
the police-station, where an inquest will
be held tomorrow morning.
The excitement rose rapidly, and the
crowd grew boisterous, threatening to
hang the murderer. Daily paid but
little attention to them and refused to
say why he committed the crime.
Once, when provoked 10y the crowd. he
turned ficrcely aroInd and said Yes,
| killed him damn him. The indig-
nation Of the people became so great
| that Policeman Salheld, who had taken
charge of the murderer, removed him
TO a drugstore on the corner, where
he was kept until the patrol-wagon
came and carried him to the station
house. He is n man fbout fifty years
Of age, and apparently is working
man. At the station-house he told a
rambling and incoherent story about
the affair, Of which tie general purport
was that Kennedy had wronged his
| father years ago, and had secured pro
porty worth $1,000 for 5000, aud that
he refused 10 make restitution.
The murdered man was about seven
ty-iive years of age, of an old Mary
land family, and one of the most re-
spected citizens of Washington. He
was a grandson of Ellicott, who at the
request of President Washington sur
veyed the ten miles square which was
Incorporated as the District of Column
Liza. In 1850 and 1860 Kennedy was
| Commissioner of the Census. He
was prominent politician in earlier
DAYS and OF ardent adherent of the old
Wing party. At one time he edited
the Franklin pa HtCttjgoRccr. He
Was an intimate friend Of eX-Senl-
tor Conkling, Attorney-General Gar
land. W. W. Corcoran, and a
large number of other people. He
acted as agent of Hon. Levi 2. Nor
ton and conducted that gentleman s
zeal estate operations in this city. He
leaves an unmarried daughter Miss
sallic Kennedy, son CJoseph Ken
uedyl. and one married daughter, who
is the wife of General Biddle, a
wealthy Californian. Mr. Kennedy
was man Of considerable property.